Ajax coach Danny Blind insists his team will go all out for the win in against Sparta Prague in Amsterdam.
“Although one point may be enough for us to go through, we want to win,” he said. “We’re not going to try and force things right from the word go, but it is important for us to get into a winning habit.”
Ajax will be without Ryan Babel, Julien Escude, Angelos Charisteas and goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont, plus suspended Czech international Tomas Galasek.
Their absences could means Nourdin Boukhari, nominally a striker, will play on the left.
Blind does not expect an easy game for his team, despite the fact their opponents have taken only one point from four Group B matches.
“They have a very compact four-man defence, with a four-man midfield in front of them,” said Blind. “They may adopt a more attack-minded approach, or play for a point and aim for the UEFA Cup slot. I don’t know. But it won’t affect our plans.”
For Sparta, Czech Republic midfielder Jan Simak is doubtful after collecting at the weekend.
Blind’s opposite number Stanislav Griga reminded journalists that his team were looking to get something out of the game.
“We want to win our remaining two matches, so we’ll have to attack and try to score,” he said.
“But Ajax have fast forwards and I’ll have to select my team accordingly.”
“We took risks against Arsenal and got punished,” Griga said. “On the other hand, we have to take something from this match.”
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